Yay, I have my own art thread now. Mostly gonna be maps. In fact, almost all maps. Enjoy.

The Nation of Brotherly Love: 1808​

The basic premise is that Philadelphia, rather than Washington D.C., becomes the nation's capital and largest city by the present day, leading a very pro-British and expansionist US who go to war with France in the late 1790s.

The point of divergence here is that the riots outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia during the drafting of the Constitution are avoided, leaving Philadelphia as the capital of the United States rather than pushing the delegates to move the capital to a newly-built one. Butterflies flap from there, and the United States, under President Alexander Hamilton, go to war with Revolutionary France in 1799, capturing Saint-Dominigue (modern day Haiti) and Louisiana from the French. The French Republic is quickly defeated in Europe as well and collapses.

This causes both the United States to grow closer to Great Britain and grow emboldened in its ability to fight European nations. Over the next decades, the United States rapidly advances across the American continent, fighting a brief war with Spain to free Mexico in the early 1820s. However, Mexico establishes an unfriendly imperial government, one who antagonizes the United States and the settles within the province of Texas. War comes, and the United States takes Texas in the peace after they smash the imperial government with the help of the Mexican people, who establish a republic.

Following the peace, the US focuses on northern expansion. A treaty with the British in the late 1820s give almost the entire Red River Valley to Canada, a valuable prize the British covet. In exchange, the British give up official claims on the Oregon Territory, and American settlers quickly claim the entire territory. Before the century is out, American settlers move up all of western North America, straight to Russian North America. With tensions between Russia, Britain, and Britain's ally Prussia high in Europe, and with the US still at least an economic ally of the British, the Russians sell Alayska to the USA before it is taken from them by force.

Meanwhile, in the south, the United States' hands off policy with Mexico resulted in an anti-American dictator seizing power and making noise about taking Texas back. One too many border tensions later and the US invades and takes all of California, the Baja Peninsula, and bits of northern Mexico in the peace deal, and establish a government backed closely by the United States. The government is somewhat-surprisingly effective at bringing stability to Mexico, particularly through American money. The US-backed Federal Republic of Guatemala to the south is less so, however, though by 1954 they have begun to rise up out of poverty.

In the Caribbean, the United States is king. Originally, the US only uses Saint-Dominigue as a dumping ground for freed slaves, but after the brief Southern Rebellion which freed all the slaves, they began to take a greater interest in the region. Uprisings against Spain were taken advantage of, and the United States quickly swallowed up Santo Domingo, Cuba, and Puerto Rico from Spain. All new territories were put on the fast track to statehood by the Whig-controlled government, who needed the voters. The British mostly got the rest of the Caribbean for themselves. More importantly, however, British capital provided for the building of a Nicaraguan Canal, a source of tension between the British and Americans that was only soothed over by special privileges for American shipping.

Despite not having a western coast, Canada has done quite well for itself. With the addition of the Red River Valley, the amount of arable land increased in early Canadian history, and drove more settlers to the colony. Westward expansion swept Canada like a fever in the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th, especially as the drive for emigration to Canada greatly increased in Britain. In particular, a large boost of settlers came over following the Bruges War in the early 20th century when French dirigibles firebombed London and caused thousands to flee.By 1954, Canada is the most populous and powerful of the British dominions, and has grown its own national identity. In a more tumultuous world, though, that identity has as of yet been put aside to stay with Britain and preserve the empire for as long as possible.

By 1954, the clear winner in North America is the United States, the colossus that stretches from Dena, Alayska to San Juan, Puerto Rico. After coming to the aid of Britain in the Belorussian war, the combined allies of Prussia, Britain, Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States overcame the alliance of Russia, France, and the fledgling Turkic Empire. In the postwar world, American goods flow around the world and the standard of living is higher than anywhere else. Philadelphia is the largest city in the country, but New York City and Chicago threaten to overtake it as trade, whether from rail or ship, boosts their economies past what any many could have dreamed fifty years before. However, the US, for the first time, must begin to turn its eyes east as unrest in China threatens to unravel the peace the world has found itself in.

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Whoo! Anyway, this 100+ hour, 1 1/2 month map turned out pretty good, I think. I did it for an upcoming Timeline In A Day called The Nation of Brotherly Love, and I hope I've garnered some interest toward it with this short description. Hope you all like it. Also, here are the full state names:

I had an idea for a map of Westeros in a steampunk AU of the A Song of Ice and Fire universe a while back, and decided to go ahead and do it because I am dumb and have lots of time on my hands.

Anyway, the AU is not quite as straightforward as I'd like it to be, so here's an explanation. Long ago, the Valyrian Freehold did not find dragons within the volcanoes that stretched across their peninsula. Instead, one man found an old woman who gave him a gift of knowledge: the knowledge to create machines. Using this knowledge, the small Valyrian tribes formed the Valyrian Freehold based around new technologies such as gunpowder and steam, with weapons that fit. They soon conquered the Ghiscari Empire, who still relied on swords and shields. Their victories were swift, and soon almost all of the continent of Essos was under their sway. However, the Valyrians kept most of their technology a secret, letting little of it ever leave Valyria went not at war, and so much of the world remained medieval in technological level.

Valyrian technology advanced, first from steam to petroleum-powered machines, and then even to the unlocking of the secrets of the atom. However, something went wrong, and the whole Valyrian Freehold was bathed in nuclear fire that eradicated all life from the area for centuries to come. The rest of the world broke free, and managed to steal some of the technology from the dying Valyrian empire. What we know as the Free Cities banded together to form the Holy Valyrian Empire under the God of Light, R'hllor. They are one of the most technologically-advanced empires in the world, but are still in danger from the Dothraki hordes of steam-powered airships that prowl the skies and the recent events in Slaver's Bay, where news of a mysterious figure uniting the slaver cities together has reached the Holy Valyrian Empire capital of Pentos.

Across the Narrow Sea, Westeros was conquered by House Targaryen using airships that rained down fire upon the Westerosi armies, most of whom were armed with medieval weapons or crude guns. From there, House Targaryen from their new capital of King's Landing rapidly advanced Westeros' technology, turning the agrarian kingdoms to industry and mass commerce. History went the same as it always did otherwise, but with many changes from pre-Targaryen days. The Vale of Arryn, ruled by House Arryn, went from an isolated and quiet kingdom to a booming center of industrial might as the massive mountains of the Vale were filled with coal, iron, and other raw goods. The Vale is now covered in railroad tracks, the only exception being the route to The Eyrie, which is still only by goat path.

The Reach and the Riverlands remain prosperous from agricultural goods to feed the booming population of Westeros, most of their goods carried by steamboat on their rivers while Oldtown is the most prosperous site of learning in Westeros and Harroway the entire continent's crossroads. The kingdoms of the North and Dorne, however, become even more isolated as their small and thinly-spread populations adapt poorly to the new industries and are regarded as backwaters by the other kingdoms, with the North and Dorne having very few railways of their own, relying on the Targaryen-built and Targaryen-run inter-kingdom railways. Only White Harbor can make any claim to be a modern city, though Winterfell and Sunspear are on their way.

It was the Westerlands, however, that were hit hardest by industrialization. Gold became far less needed than ever before, and the transition broke the back of House Lannister for decades, allowing the House Reyne to, for a time, have de facto control over the Westerlands. House Lannister eventually bounced back via a change to banking and business ventures, that used all that remained of House Lannister's fortunes to change Casterly Rock and Lannisport to be hives of new business and Westeros' largest banking firms. Once again, House Lannister became powerful.

They grew their power even during Robert's Rebellion in 282 AC (After Conquest), which saw Rhaegar Targaryen smash Robert's forces on the Trident when his personal aerial forces, the Dragon's Breath Airships, destroy Robert's land-based army and Rhaegar himself kill Robert Baratheon with a pistol shot. House Lannister refused to intervene, other than cut all ties to House Baratheon. Rhaegar forgave Ser Jaime for killing his father, as he needed to be king anyway, and instead banished him from the Kingsguard and back to Casterly Rock, much to the delight of Cersei. He became Cersei's personal knight as she was sent to marry Loras Tyrell and he to marry Margaery Tyrell, to give House Lannister a strong link to The Reach, which Tywin Lannister felt was needed in case of further conflict.

The year is now 300AC. Winter is coming, but the wall's cannons can hopefully stop the Others, but it is unknown whether they will be enough. In the south, House Targaryen remains the most powerful, along with House Arryn, but House Lannister is rising ever higher. In particular, House Lannister recently expanded Golden Lion Airways, their signature airship line. As House Targaryen controls all inter-kingdom travel by rail and river, placing taxes on them to feed the royal treasury. However, no law says anything about inter-kingdom travel by air, and so House Lannister has quickly begun to corner the market on airship trade via Golden Lion Airways, expanding their routes all across Westeros. Here, you can see one of their common advertisements, showing the advantages of airships over rail travel.

Inspired by Martin23230's excellent map, The Commonwealth, I decided to try my hand at making a map set in the future of such a scenario. This will also be the first part of my mini-series focusing on the holidays/Christmas in various worlds, so expect extra detail on holidays. Now, I present to you all, The World Cromwell Made on December 25, 1955.

The reigning superpower on the continent and dominant power in the Catholic world is, naturally, the Empire of Maryland, ruled from the metropolis of St. Mary's City—a city that rivals London in size and grandeur. The nation was formed when Charles II finally declared Britain a lost cause and set up his governmental power base in the Americas, deciding to resign himself to rule over the New World. In the end, this would prove a wise choice, as Maryland quickly expanded to swallow up all of England's former colonies, save the Puritan New England colonies.

Maryland, over the years, grew rapidly due to abundant resources, a high growth rate, steady immigration—particularly by English, Scottish, and Irish Catholics—and powerful allies in France and Austria, who still recognized Maryland as the legitimate English government, even if the nation gave up any ideas on retaking the British Isles. With all those factors, Maryland (then known as the Kingdom of Maryland) quickly spread across the East Coast, taking the Dutch and Spanish colonies there in a series of brush wars with the dying colonial powers. From there, Maryland pushed inland, settling the interior relatively uncontested due to alliances and the weakness of the other colonial powers. The Commonwealth, meanwhile, constantly harassed the Catholic nation, but was uninterested n starting a full war with Charles' descendants, and so elected to let the nation live on.

The 19th century became Maryland's first golden era, as the kingdom was converted to an empire and rapidly expanded against the dying Spanish colonial empire all the way to the west coast. The Empire of Mexico itself was beaten badly in a border-conflict-turned-war, and forced to focus its power south while Maryland dominated the North, eventually consuming all territories not firmly claimed by Russia, France, or The Commonwealth.

During that century, The Commonwealth remained a stubborn thorn in Maryland's side, due to the highly-effective and professional New Model Army and Commonwealth Navy that remained superior to anything Maryland could throw at it. Two wars between Maryland and New England only resulted in bloodied noses for Maryland as Boston refused to yield in the first war, and in the second Maryland's soldiers found out how much of a fortress Halifax had been turned into, suffering four times more casualties than their Commonwealth counterparts. In the end, the two rival nations settled into an uneasy peace with war deemed too costly to be effective.

Industrialization, which began in The Commonwealth and quickly spread out, took hold of Maryland's society and reinvigorated it, turning the quiet, conservative Catholic communities into booming factory towns, particularly around the Great Lakes region. New jobs and opportunities abounded, and Maryland rose as one of the world's largest economies by way of mass market capitalism. Goods were overflowing from every corner of the empire and trade with Maryland's allies Russia and France only made the nation richer.

Now, the year is 1955, and industrialized life has settled firmly into Maryland. The Empire stretches proudly from sea to shining sea, a victor in Europe's titanic Grand War and the workshop of the world. Christmas has come once more to the continent, overflowing department stores and family-owned retail outlets with goods made in factories hugging the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River. Children and adults alike, tired from the previous night's Christmas Mass, listen to Emperor Benedict II's traditional Christmas broadcast via telephone (which would be called, in our world, a radio). Christmas hymns are sung and gifts exchanged in the light of Christmas candles as music plays on the telephone or some particularly pious families tune in to Pope Pious XIII's broadcast from Rome, in the Italian Papal Republic. It is a broadcast also listened to in the French and Austro-Bohemian-Bavarian empires, as well as French Canada, which has itself adopted a strange hybrid of Marylander and French cultures and styles.

The Russians of Novorossiya receive gifts from the Three Magi and celebrate another good year, despite a particularly cold year, by the light of fireplaces. They are a hardy, strong people concentrated around the Pacific Northwest, and who consider themselves all but independent from the Eurasian empire that stretches from Petrograd to Changchun. Still, it is Christmas, and thus no reason to get angry—that can wait for after the New Year.

Meanwhile, New Englanders remain in contempt of the pompous Catholics surrounding them, refusing to celebrate the "heretical" holidays of the Catholics and sticking to their Puritan beliefs...on paper, anyway. In reality, The Commonwealth celebrates New Year's in more or less the same way, just making schoolchildren wait an extra few days to have some fun. Instead, rich New Englanders fly out on fast-travel rocketplanes to Commonwealth Cuba—taken long ago from the Spanish—to enjoy a period of relaxation and escape the harsh winters in the north.

In all, 1955 has been a year of peace and goodwill, and it is hoped that 1956 will be the same. Maryland and New England may eye each other warily over the border and the Populist Federation of Brazil may send more threats to New Grenada, but peace still reigns over the world, one won through hardship but hopefully one that will last as well.